Fort Worth based Assassin Exterminating is able to provide superior Fire Ant Elimination and Control results by only using the highest quality products available to Pest Management Professionals. We proudly utilize products from the following Manufacturers:

Fire ants are prevalent throughout Texas. Black Imported Fire Ants and Red Imported Fire Ants are fierce, territorial and persistent. Their mounds vary in size and may be found anywhere. Their peak activity is spring to December. They are less active in January, February and March but will emerge on warm days foraging about looking for food and someone to sting.

Some structures have fire ants under slabs where heat is available all year. These nests will be active continuously. Throughout the spring into winter, active mounds will send out "swarmer" ants. Like termites, these are winged males and females who start new colonies. We get many calls from people who want to know if they have ants or termites swarming in their house. Generally, fire ant swarmers will retain or keep their wings even after they're dead. On the other hand, termite swarmers will drop wings and walk around in pairs looking for a place to start a new colony. Fire ants won't pair off or loose their wings. Additionally, their antennae will be elbowed where termite antennae will be long and straight.

When colonies are established around buildings, picnic areas, sitting areas, and playgrounds, your children may encounter these nasty little demons. These encounters may lead to pets and children getting stung. As homeowners and parents, you should strive to control your environment so your young ones won't have to worry about being stung. Fire ants may be little, but they pack a nasty sting which will itch and become irritated immediately. If you have stings you want to treat, use an antiseptic spray or ointment. If you have ever been stung by fire ants you know the wound will irritate you for weeks. These ointments will soothe the discomfort and allow for faster healing. Though they work great at relieving the pain and suffering of fire ant stings, most people still prefer to not get stung at all.

Fire Ant Identification and Control:Imported fire ants are 1/8 to 1/4 inch in length and are reddish brown to black. They are social insects and live in colonies which may have up to 200,000 individuals. Fire ant colonies are made up of a queen ant, winged males and females, (virgin queens), workers, and brood (which are made up of ant eggs, larvae, and pupae). The queen fire ant lives in a protected nest which may be several feet deep and can be several feet away from the visible mound or mounds. There may be several satellite nests near the main nest and some nests may have more than one queen.

Fire ants usually have two flying swarms each year when winged males and females leave the colony for their reproductive flights. This insures the spread and survival of the species. Swarming usually occurs in late Spring and in Summer but can occur during any time of the year. The number of swarms (and the number of swarmers) can depend on the size, strength and health of the colony as well as contributing conditions: abundance of food sources, rainfall, air and ground temperatures. After mating the fertilized queen begins a new colony in the soil.

Over the last few decades, fire ants have shown us that they can readily adapt to different weather patterns, locations and even complicated control measures targeting their extinction. Past attempts at eliminating fire ants from certain areas (with the use of massive pesticide treatments from ground and air) have done little to inhibit the tremendous march of these persistent pests. Most of these programs actually helped the fire ant by wiping out other species of ants that competed with the fire ant for food.

There was a time when entomologists told us that only a few colonies of these biting pests could survive per acre. It was believed that the different ant colonies would drive out all competing fire ant for territory and food. We were also told that each colony would have only one viable queen. You may now travel through the southeast United States and find dozens of colonies per acre. Each colony may contain several viable queens and each colony may even share resources with its neighbors.